Face Value
by Firebreath Fishslap
Summary: Aigis is not a robot. Ryoji Mochizuki is not a Shadow. Gekkoukan High is merely a normal school on Port Island. Everything is exactly as it seems to be. AU.


**A/N:** I originally wrote this story in autumn of 2012, back while I was working on Reset in earnest and wanted to write something a bit more mundane as a palate changer. Recently, I found the original drafts for this and an unfinished second chapter sitting in my fanfiction folder, and decided it might be worth going back and giving the original story a full rewrite, since there were a few bits of the old version I was never quite satisfied with. At the very least, I plan on finishing up that second chapter, so feel free to throw a follow if you like what you see!

* * *

The bell rang to signal the end of the day, and the students filed out of their classrooms and into the schoolyard. Once the rest of the class had left and the crowds were not quite choking the doorway anymore, Aigis stood up from her chair and exited the room, sliding the door behind her.

For a couple of minutes, she stood outside the room and looked up and down the hall, searching for anyone she knew. When it was clear that all of her associates from the dormitory had already left, she began to walk down the hall. She wasn't a member of any clubs, she had no afterschool activities of note, and nothing that would keep her at school for an extended period of time after the day ended.

On her way to the stairs at the end of the hall, she passed by a pair of students huddled together, trying to keep warm in the brisk November air, Gekkoukan's thin winter jackets not quite warm enough to account for the unusually cold autumn, but Aigis continued walking. She had never been bothered by such small changes in temperature; a simple ten degree difference from the norm did not send her running for a scarf, and she doubted it ever would.

She walked down the stairs to the school lobby with careful, measured steps, for no reason beyond that was what she felt she had to do to keep her shoes on her feet. The voices of two men drifted up the stairwell, apparently coming from the bottom of it.

"Man, class 2-F's gotten a lot of transfer students this year."

She stopped on the landing midway between floors, suddenly realizing what they were talking about. The culprits were a couple of second years loitering near the counter of the school store, the taller of which carrying a coffee; she'd never talked with them, on account of being in different classes, but she recognized them well enough.

"Huh, really?"

"Dude, did you not notice? You should really pay more attention to that stuff," the first speaker said. He lifted his hand and started marking off names on his extended fingers. "First they snagged Arisato at the start of the year, and then Aigis-chan, you know, the girl who called herself a _weapon_ on day one, and _then_ they got Mochizuki at the very end of the year-"

"Man, screw that guy, I swear he knew I was gonna ask out Ringo-chan first-"

"You see what I mean, though? The two luckiest guys in school and that foreigner girl. _And_ they all hang out together."

"I'm pretty sure Aigis-chan just stalks them, man. I saw her glaring at Mochizuki while he was having lunch with Arisato and Iori the other day."

The first speaker laughed. "Well, apparently, the first day that Mochizuki was here, she stood up in the middle of class and called him 'dangerous'. Tell you what, that chick's weird, but at least she's got that part right. Dude's dangerous for all of us single guys! You know I haven't gotten a single date since he showed up? Do chicks just go for rich foreigners or something?"

"If that were the case, guys would be all over Aigis-chan. Apparently she's a ward of the Kirijos or something, and you know _they're_ loaded..."

"That's because most guys know better than to stick it in chicks who talk like robots. Man, talks like one, acts like one, maybe she actually is-"

"Good afternoon," Aigis said. The second student let out a yelp, while the first student flinched back, slopping his coffee all over the tile. With how they had completely proceeded on without noticing her, they obviously had not noticed her presence. Or perhaps they had simply neglected to look up. She turned to the student holding a coffee cup.

"Oh, h-hey, Aigis-san," he said.

"I believe you were discussing the possibility that I am of non-human nature," she said, her expression unchanging.

"Idiot!" The second student elbowed his friend in the rib, prompting a glare from the first student. Aigis looked between the two of them, and then back at the first speaker.

"Would you like me to prove myself?"

"Wait, you don't have-"

But Aigis had already started rolling up her jacket sleeve. She thrust out her arm for the two to see, revealing nothing but a normal human arm and the white gloves she wore on her hands.

"As you can see, I am perfectly human," Aigis said methodically. "Junpei-san dared me to write that I was a humanoid tactical weapon on my admissions forms. As you can see, they were accepted regardless of the error. Have I cleared up any confusion you may have?"

"I guess..." started the first boy, only for his second friend to suddenly cut in with, "So what about you and Mochizuki, are you-"

"There is nothing of a romantic nature occurring between Ryoji-san and myself. You should not spend time around him. Good day," Aigis said flatly. She walked away from the two students in a huff. There was no reason that they should have brought up her relationship, or lack there-of, with Ryoji. The discussion had not even involved him. And she certainly did not _stalk_ him or wish to murder him like several students were fond of implying. She simply did not trust him, and as such, did not approve of his presence around people she considered important to her.

She switched her shoes at the shoe locker, and then stepped through the front gates and into the courtyard. Shivering students waited for their dates under trees and near the gate, and Aigis was sure that they would soon be leaving to engage in the popular after-school activities of the area, such as "hanging out at Cafe Chagall" and "going to see a movie". She rarely engaged in such things personally (though she had once been to a ninja movie marathon with Minato), but he was quite intrigued by the people who did. Quite often she wondered about those who spent their time at Escapade, because not only did it not open until later in the day, but it was also not supposed to be open to high school students.

And then, she froze. Standing underneath one of the trees, looking around concernedly, was Ryoji Mochizuki. She began to step toward the far end of the courtyard, when suddenly he caught sight of her and began walking her way. Her mind flew back to the ninja movie marathon, where one of the ninjas had replaced themselves with a log during a tense situation, and began contemplating where she could learn such a technique when Ryoji stepped up in front of her.

"Hey, Aigis-san. Have you seen Junpei? We were supposed to hang out today, but he suddenly rushed out of class before we could talk," Ryoji said.

"I do not know. Do you not have his cell phone number?" A log. She was a log. Still and unmoveable.

"It keeps going to voicemail, so I think he might have let his battery die," Ryoji said. His face suddenly softened, and alarm bells started going off in Aigis' head. She suddenly wished she'd thought to ask Minato how exactly that technique worked before now. Clearly, thinking of herself as a log was not it. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen you walk home with anyone... doesn't it get lonely?"

"As long as I am by his side, I do not need to worry about anything else." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself. Ryoji blinked at her in surprise, before shaking his head.

"You mean Minato-kun, right? That's the thing, you haven't really been spending much time with him since me and him became friends. I'm a little worried," he said. She opened her mouth just to say that Ryoji Mochizuki did not need to worry about her, but he cut her off before she could start. "Hey, I've got an idea! Why not do a group date? It'll be you and Minato, and I can bring someone else. And Junpei can come to, if he wants."

The very idea was abhorrent.

Her face must have shown her feelings on the matter, because Ryoji's expression fell back into a frown. "Or maybe not?"

"Please do not spend any more time around Minato-san," she said. She turned to leave, only for a voice to call her name from across the courtyard, and found herself turning around yet again to see Yukari crossing the courtyard toward the two of them.

"Oh, hey there, Ryoji-kun," Yukari said. She turned toward Aigis. "Mitsuru-san sent a message out to everyone earlier. We're meeting in the lounge tonight after school, so don't stay out too late."

"Another operation? I comprehend."

"'Operation'?" Ryoji repeated in confusion.

"It's nothing that complicated. We just have club activities to do tonight..." Yukari clarified.

"I see. Well, if you want to invite me along, I'm always happy to join," Ryoji said. "Oh, by the way, have you seen Junpei? We were supposed to hang out today."

"I think Mr. Ekoda grabbed him right after class ended, so he might still be in the teacher's lounge," Yukari said.

"Got it. Thank you very much, Yukari-san." Ryoji gave her a small bow and a wink before striding off toward the front doors of the school. The moment he was out of earshot, Yukari made a retching noise.

"He is not good," Aigis said.

"You're telling me. You know he asked me to go to Shirakawa Boulevard with him? I mean, he's a nice guy, but he is way too forward," Yukari said. She shuddered. "Besides, there's _no way_ I'll ever go back to Shirakawa after..."

"What is on Shirakawa Boulevard?" Aigis asked honestly.

"Nowhere that you need to be."

"I comprehend."

* * *

The Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad had a name that any spec ops group would be jealous of. It brought to mind covert operations conducted in the dead of night, a secret world normal people could not access. Its members were as veiled in mystery as the group's purpose was – its members were all teenagers, all friends of Mitsuru Kirijo, and all lived in the co-ed dormitory the school owned. Its members included Kirijo herself, two of 2-F's three mysterious transfer students, heartthrob boxing champion Akihiko Sanada, equally notorious heartthrob delinquent Shinjiro Aragaki, one of the most popular girls in school, an elementary school student, and a dog.

There were a few things the rumors got right: the group was highly exclusive, it was mostly composed of Mitsuru Kirijo's friends, and it generally only operated in the dead of the night. What most people didn't know was that, on paper, the club's purpose was to "serve the community and maintain a state of beauty in the Port Island area." In shorter terms, it was a community service club.

The club was a personal project of Mitsuru's. Port Island was owned by the Kirijo Group, and in her opinion, it was the Kirijo Group's duty to help take care of the island. The companions Mitsuru had gathered were hard at work many nights, helping to clean up graffiti around the island, pick up litter, and even scrub the floors at Paulownia Mall. When they weren't doing that, they volunteered at facilities around the island and helped the community in other ways. One could say that they were model students.

Not that anyone would get that impression from looking at their group: Shinjiro Aragaki was well known for skipping school and getting into fights, and Junpei and Aigis' grades were some of the worst in the school. However, there was a strong comradery between them, and in fact, they all lived in the same dormitory. The circumstances that had led to this were unknown to Aigis, but she could make assumptions as to how; none of the SEES members had particularly stable home lives from what she understood. She suspected that had something to do with why Mitsuru chose them for SEES, though it couldn't have been all of it.

But at this point, Aigis had found she didn't really care about those things anymore. She was quite fond of the time she spent with her friends during these late nights. Even if tonight, they were just picking up trash in front of Iwatodai Station.

She speared a few pieces of trash onto her pole and deposited them into her bag. The poles they'd been given were sharpened at one end, so that they could pick up trash without bending over. Even still, it was hard work, though the others seemed to be enjoying themselves regardless. She noted Aragaki and Sanada standing over by a phone booth, chatting together, while Junpei seemed to be trying to goad Ken into sparring with him.

Aigis, meanwhile, had been engaged in a conversation with Minato for quite some time about what had happened at school earlier.

"He was quite insistent that we go on a group date together. I saw no reason to do such a thing, and so I declined. However, Yukari-san arrived before I could do so in earnest."

"Aigis..." Minato said.

"You should not spend time with him. He is not good.

"You've told me before," Minato said exasperatedly. He sighed and tossed an empty beer can into his trash bag."I think this is starting to turn into an obsession."

"I do not understand," Aigis said flatly.

"You've been very focused on him lately," Minato continued. At that moment, Junpei caused a slight distraction by falling down the stairs in front of the station. Ken sheepishly asked if he was alright, hiding his pole behind his back, but Junpei quickly said he was alright. He picked himself up and started walking that way.

"You guys talking about Ryoji?" he asked as he walked over.

"Yeah," Minato said.

"He's dangerous," Aigis said automatically.

"Only as much as you're makin' him out to be," Junpei said, waving her off. He turned toward Minato. "You know what I think? I think she's tsundere for him."

"What?" Minato asked flatly. Aigis was similarly confused.

"It's one of those terms those otaku guys are always throwin' around," he said. "You know, for girls who are really cold toward a guy, but it turns out they really like him deep down. Or... something like that. Y'know, chicks like Aigis."

"That is incorrect," Aigis said flatly. "I have examined Ryoji-san, and determined him to be dangerous. As such, I see no reason to allow him around my friends. That is all." She heard Minato chuckle from her left, but when she turned toward him, he'd already returned to looking for litter to pick up. "Minato-san, I request support in defending myself against these accusations. The description 'tsundere' is inaccurate in reference to my person, and this error must be corrected."

Junpei made a choking noise as he turned away, apparently seeming more concerned with looking for garbage around the edge of the plaza than the converation. Minato didn't even look up at her as he responded. "It seems pretty accurate to me."

"You are unhelpful."

"Mm-hm," he said. He remained turned away from her, scanning around the bike racks for trash, when he suddenly stopped moving.

"Is this really what you want?" he said in clear, even tones. The world suddenly seemed oddly quiet. There was static in Aigis' ears. Her limbs felt like foreign objects on her body. She was enveloped by a strange tension.

"Could... you repeat what you said?" she asked hesitantly.

"I asked if you could pass me another trash bag. This one's getting full," Minato said. And suddenly, the tension was gone, and the Minato she knew was back. She pulled a bag from her pocket and handed it to him. "Thanks."

As he tied his bag up, Junpei turned back around toward them. "So why do you find him so dangerous anyways?"

"He just is."

"I bet you wouldn't think so if you actually spent some time with us sometime. Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I decline. Furthermore, you should return to work before Mitsuru-san spots you slacking off. She may decide to execute you," Aigis advised. In the corner of her eye, she saw Minato flinch, while Junpei appeared to have broken out into a cold sweat.

"Uh, I just... remembered somewhere I've gotta be! Gotta go!" Junpei said before quickly stepping away toward the other end of the plaza. With that last nuisance removed, Aigis gladly returned to her work.

* * *

Exams were coming closer and closer, and every student in school was starting to feel the pressure. Aigis had done her best to pay attention during class, but her grades continued to be some of the lowest in the school. Perhaps if they taught subjects on subjects that actually interested her, such as tactical theory, mechanical engineering, and information analysis, she might have done better. Sadly, that was not the case.

She exited her room and walked downstairs, stopping as she reached the landing. There were several people standing by the table. One wearing a familiar yellow scarf. He, Junpei, Fuuka and Yukari exchanged a few words of goodbye, and then Ryoji started walking to the door, only to be interrupted by it opening, Minato stepping through. The two of them talked for a moment as well, and then Ryoji exited the building. It was only once he was gone that Aigis stepped out from the alcove.

"Was that Ryoji-san?" she asked.

"Yeah, he said he was going home," Minato said.

"What was he doing here?" Aigis asked.

"He's been coming here a lot, actually. Pretty much ever since he started hanging around with Junpei," Yukari said.

"But... visitors aren't allowed here," Aigis said apprehensively.

"Yeah, but Mitsuru-senpai said it was okay during the day," Junpei said. But not during the night, of course. That was only natural; this was a co-ed dormitory, and Ryoji Mochizuki already had a reputation on that matter.

"I don't think that we need to worry about Ryoji-kun," Fuuka added.

"He's dangerous," Aigis said in response, and that was the end of that conversation.

When she talked to Mitsuru about the matter later that night, she told her the exact same thing, only to be quickly brushed off.

"While it's true that Mochizuki is not a member of SEES, I see no reason to bar him from the dormitory on that basis alone. Besides, Arisato has been bringing... others to the dormitory for quite some time now," Mitsuru said. She coughed nervously.

There were other instances of visitors? It seemed odd that the Chairman would allow that. A moment later, she corrected herself. That line of thinking was incorrect; the Chairman had died two months previously, after all. Yes, then it was logical that Minato had brought others to the dormitory.

...Who had he brought to the dormitory, though? Mitsuru certainly seemed unwilling to elaborate.

"In any case, I see no reason to bar Mochizuki from the dormitory, especially if he's helping Iori study. If he can do the impossible and improve Iori's grades... Speaking of which, shouldn't you be studying as well?"

With that uncomfortable reminder, Aigis was forced to return to her room and study more. An incredible uneasiness continued to weigh on her heart. She knew something was going to happen soon. Something involving Ryoji, something that would hurt her friends. Everything about this man and the crushing uneasiness he caused her...

If he were to hurt them, she would never forgive him.

* * *

But Ryoji wasn't at school the next day, nor did he come to the dormitory after school let out. According to Junpei, Ryoji was ill, possibly a result of too much studying. And were it anyone else, she would have accepted this as the truth.

But the uneasiness in her chest hadn't gone away. And the very next day, Ryoji's seat in the classroom was conspicuously empty once again. She watched the door through the day, expecting him to walk in, apparently late for some reason, but he never did. The weight in her chest seemed to be making its way to her throat now. This wasn't like him.

After class, she approached Toriumi, saying that she wanted to bring Ryoji his notes but didn't know where he lived. That had been enough to convince Toriumi to hand over his address, though she was quick to point out that it would probably be better if someone else did the deed, considering the general quality of Aigis' notes. Before leaving the building, Aigis stopped and asked Yukari if she could borrow hers for the night.

The building Ryoji apparently lived at was further into the city from the station, past the dormitory. It wasn't hard to find, but the distance meant it took her almost an hour to get to it. Apparently, he lived in an expensive apartment by himself. She mulled over the description as she walked up the stairs; hadn't Toriumi said on day one that the reason Ryoji had moved to Iwatodai had to do with his parents' work? She could ask him about it when she found the room... which was easy enough, as it was only a couple doors down from the stairs.

She knocked at the door several times, putting a ten second break between each knock. "Ryoji-san," she called through the door. There was no response. She continued knocking. "Ryoji-san, please open the door."

She repeated this a couple of times uselessly, before looking down at the doorknob. Aigis put her hand around it and turned, and the door clicked open. It had never been locked to begin with. Slowly, she stepped into the room.

The inside of Ryoji's apartment was oddly plain for who it belonged to. It was small, with a kitchen taking up most of one half of the room, and two doors at one end that clearly led to a bedroom and bathroom. There wasn't any scattered litter about the room, but there was a thin layer of dust on the table, and some of the devices in the kitchen looked like they'd never been used.

It seemed that Ryoji didn't spend much time at home. She walked to the door she'd determined went to his bedroom and pulled it open.

This room showed more signs of life; there was a pile of laundry in a basket in the corner, and a neatly pressed Gekkoukan uniform hanging from the closet door. His bed was a mess, and had clearly not been made recently.

Most importantly, Ryoji was not here either.

So he hadn't been at school, and he wasn't sick at home. If he was in the hospital, he was sure that the school would have been alerted, so clearly, he wasn't sick. He was somewhere else. This conclusion did nothing to ease her anxiety, and, suddenly aware that she was technically trespassing by wandering through his apartment like she was, she walked back through the front door, locking it behind her as she left. From there it was just back down the stairs and into the streets.

In the time it had taken her to leave school, walk to the apartment, and finish searching it, night had fallen. While she was unsure exactly what time it was, it was certainly quite late, and the eerie gaze of the full moon made the streets significantly brighter than normal. The chill in the air had fallen to a freezing temperature, though Aigis was still not particularly bothered by it.

As she continued walking back toward the dormitory, the streets began to clear out, emptying out slowly as the night went on. It took her a full hour to make it back to the street the dormitory lay upon, though if she'd been walking at her normal speed, it likely would have taken half the time. She paused to look down the street at the lights of the dorm... and then she kept on walking. Not yet.

Her feet moved automatically, as if she was being guided, and she had no reason to try and go another direction. Dimly she was aware that she had not told Mitsuru what she was doing today. More than likely, she would be scolded when she returned to the dorm, particularly if she returned after curfew. But this, whatever it was, seemed more important at the moment. And after several minutes of walking, her path brought her to the Moonlight Bridge.

The bridge accommodated the wide road leading to Port Island, though there were sidewalks along the sides to accommodate the rare pedestrian who didn't want to use the monorail. As she walked, a lonesome car would occasionally pass by, blinding her until it was gone. And as she continued walking, the figure standing at the sidewalk's midpoint, gazing out over the safety barrier into the bay, became more and more distinct.

"I've been looking for you," Aigis said. Ryoji turned toward her, pulling his scarf loosely around his neck as he turned. His eyes widened in surprise.

"You... you're..."

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

He turned away, smiling somberly. "...That's right, you don't really like me do you?" he said. He let his hand drop to his chest, grasping weakly at one of the buttons on his shirt. "I went out for some air, and somehow, I found myself wandering here. It's strange, though... For some reason I keep feeling a sense of deja vu when I'm here. Is it the same for you?"

Aigis shuddered at the question. She pushed past the feeling so she could voice her own question. "Junpei-san said that you were at home sick, but you seem to be in good health. Why did you stay home from school?

Ryoji grasped at his shirt with a balled fist as he turned back toward the bay. The smile on his face was bitter. Like he was in pain.

"It's strange... I've friends who care for me, I've reached out for love... but this hollow feeling won't go away. I don't feel like I should be here, in this world..." he said. He leaned back over the barrier and stared down at the bay. His eyes had a glazed look to them, like he was looking at something far, far away.

Aigis looked over the side of the bridge. It reminded her of a churning sea of blood.

"Did you plan to jump?" she asked.

Ryoji shook his head. "No... I don't think it would change anything."

"I would not let you anyways."

Ryoji pushed himself off of the barrier and turned toward her. "That's surprising... I thought that you'd be happy to be rid of me?"

"You are dangerous. I cannot explain why, but when I am around you, I feel something terrible is sure to happen." Aigis put her hand of her hand over her heart, and she pulled her jacket tight against it. "It scares me. But Minato-san and Junpei-san consider you to be their friend. Were anything to happen to you, it would hurt them. I could not willingly allow harm to come to them."

Ryoji smiled. "I see, so it's for your friends..."

"They are important to me... As I am sure they are to you."

Ryoji only nodded.

"I wish to walk you home tonight, so as to ensure you return safely. Would that be alright?" she asked.

"You're asking permission?"

"It would be improper to do anything but."

"I couldn't turn down a lady, especially if she asked so nicely," Ryoji said, his voice having brightened noticeably.

With a small flourish, he held a hand out to Aigis. She grasped it roughly and immediately began to take steps down the bridge, back toward the city. She felt him nearly trip on the first step, but he fell into line quickly enough. Any fears she had that he might run away were calmed by his firm grasp. Somewhere in the distance, she could hear the synthetic bong of a clock over a speaker. From that same speaker, a similarly synthetic voice announced that the time was now midnight.

They walked through the emptied streets, Ryoji's hand firmly clasped around her own, and neither of them said a word for the rest of the night.


End file.
